Page 324 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 2

STS496 Pilar M.
4. The European Statistics Code of Practice
A good legislation frame is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for
the preservation of independence. Standards for developing, producing and
disseminating statistics have to be set for the appropriate application of the
law. To this end, the Statistical Programme Committee of the ESS produced in
2005 a Code of Practice, based in the Fundamental Principles of Official
Statistics, and in which the Principle of Independence plays a relevant role. This
Code has been updated in 2011 and in 2017.
In its current version the Code of Practice includes 16 key principles (one
of which, referred to Coordination, was included in the last update) for the
production and dissemination of European official statistics and the
institutional environment under which national and Community statistical
authorities operate. A very positive feature of it is that each principle is
accompanied by a set of indicators, aimed as a reference for monitoring
compliance with the principle.
The Code of Practice has proved to be a most useful benchmarking
instrument, and has, therefore, received worldwide attention. It has been the
starting point and the model for several similar Codes of Practice adopted in
other regions of the world, such as ECLAC, South Mediterranean countries and
Afristat.

5. Advisory bodies: ESGAB
Once the Code of Practice had been adopted, it was deemed advisable to
implement ways to overview and promote compliance with it by Member
States. To this end, an advisory body and some monitoring techniques have
been designed.
The European Statistical Governance Advisory Board was established in
2008 with the aim to boost the professional independence, integrity and
accountability of the ESS. The members of the Board are seven independent
high-qualified statisticians, appointed by the European Parliament and the
Council for a fixed period of time, with the assignment to provide an
independent overview of ESS as regards the implementation of the Code of
Practice.
The main tasks of ESGAB are: a) to prepare an annual report, to be
presented to the European Parliament and the Council, on the effective
implementation of the Code of Practice in the EU, as well as the foreseeable
risks that could arise from new technical or social developments, and b) to
advise EUROSTAT on appropriate measures for the implementation of the
Code of Practice and on its updating. ESGAB acts as a warning watchdog on
matters concerning the compliance with the Code of Practice in the ESS.

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